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Baby Salivating A Lot? Find Out Why

Most babies drool a lot. That is one of reasons they are babies. They are allowed to salivate, drip, stain and make a mess of themselves. But if you feel that your baby is salivating a lot, substantially more than normal, then there has to be a cause. Many parents get deceived into thinking that the child is hungry when he or she salivates. This is absolutely not true.

KNOW THE SIGNS THAT YOUR BABY IS TEETHING

Babies salivate out of habit. It helps them to get rid of the germs in their mouth. It is only for us adults that salivation is a sign of hunger or craving. However, if your baby is drooling all over the place in large amounts, there might a specific cause that needs addressing.

Baby Salivating

Here are some reasons why your baby is salivating a lot. Find out which one of these causes is making your baby to drool so much.

Teething
Salivation is usually seen as a sign of teething. Many babies start salivating a lot when they are about to sprout teeth. They constantly try to bite into something and that makes their salivary glands to become overtly active.

Infection
Your baby might be having some saliva rash or infection inside the mouth that is producing too much drool. Saliva is a natural cure for many infections. So your baby's natural immune gets triggered by mouth infections.

Growth Process
You will notice that babies start drooling at a very high rate when they are about 3 months old. This happens as a part of the normal growth process. Although your baby will not be teething before 6 months, the teeth starts growing within the gums. This is a trigger for the salivary glands to get hyperactive.

Digestion
Saliva that is produced in the mouth can neutralises stomach acids. This will help your baby to calm down colic pain and help his/her nascent digestive system settle down. So, salivating has its own benefits too.

Acid Reflux
Babies bring up milk regularly because the splinter on their oesophagus is still very lax. It can open and close at any time. That is why babies are prone to acid reflux and vomiting. This makes their food pipe irritated and can cause discomfort to the little ones. Salivating and swallowing the saliva helps to soothe the irritated oesophagus and provides relief from the burning sensation.

So if you baby is salivating a lot, it could be due to many reasons. The reasons are often not very serious. In fact, drooling seems to be a healthy reaction for babies. But if you still feel that your baby is salivating too much, then see a doctor to clarify your doubts.

Story first published: Monday, June 23, 2014, 13:39 [IST]
Read more about: baby care baby health